Students get to grips with maps
Pathway 3 students are always looking for ways to enhance their employability skills in lessons whilst having fun. The Sport and Life Skills groups merged to take on a murder mystery around Ashby-De-La-Zouch and the following week an orienteering challenge around the Outwoods in Loughborough
Murder Mystery around Ashby-De-La-Zouch
Their first challenges were a set of team building activities where the careful reading of the instructions, use of initiative, teamwork and communication were key to their success.
Students needed to use clue-solving skills, maths, English and their newly acquired understanding of cardinal compass points to solve who killed the world-renowned biscuit baker, Gary Bauldie.
![Brochure cover for Detective Case Files Enclosed with picture of students reading clue sheet](https://www.homefieldcollege.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/22.png)
It was a tough challenge with the two teams using different tactics in order to solve the clues without giving help to the other team.
Everyone did fantastically well and made it around a tough challenge, however special mention to Luke who solved many of the visual clues whilst the rest of us were still scratching our heads, and to Jake, whose navigation, patience, and leadership skills were very much evident.
We highly recommend Treasure Trails as a fun way to practice your navigation and map-reading skills whilst having fun in the process – there are hundreds of cases to solve all around the UK.
Map Reading Finding a Clue Reading Signs
Orienteering at the Outwoods
Week two of the map reading challenge saw students split into two teams to try their hand at orienteering at the Outwoods in Loughborough.
Using a compass, an orienteering map and taking headings, students navigated around the woods to hunt down the café for a hot chocolate and a cake.
This was a little more challenging with students needing to approximate distances on the map to the footpath and taking headings using their compass. Lots of great teamwork, problem-solving and resilience were shown, especially as the weather turned wet earlier than expected.
The key learning of the day: Take a clear plastic cover for paper maps; they don’t work so well when very wet!!
PS: No one got lost (for very long…)
Map Reading Finding Navigation Markers Cafe found!